Blacks Creek Greenway Urban Waterfront Restoration

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The restoration of the Blacks Creek waterfront will enhance wildlife habitats, improve the buffering capacity of riparian areas – thus improving the health of the Upper Delaware Estuary, and create recreational and educational areas for the local community and surrounding region of central New Jersey.   

This project seeks to preserve urban open space; conserve historic structures (a scale house and trestle from the 19th century Camden & Amboy Railroad); restore riparian buffers and native plant communities; and create an interpretive nature trail along Blacks Creek to help promote the appreciation and conservation of natural resources in Bordentown City, as well as provide a walking path through one of the few remaining natural areas of the mostly urbanized City. This trail will comprise the first phase of a larger Blacks Creek Greenway that will eventually extend one mile along Blacks Creek, from Route 130 to Crosswicks Creek, and tie into the newly developed Railroad Avenue Promenade Trail and Thorntown Creek Greenway Trail, as well as the regional Delaware River Heritage Trail that will extend from Trenton to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. This project is listed on both the Bordentown City Open Space Plan and Bicycle/Pedestrian Circulation Element of the Master Plan.

The restoration of the riparian buffers along Black Creek will entail: stabilizing the shoreline in areas that are eroding; creating shallow water areas for fish habitat; reducing invasive plant species and replacing with natives to improve wildlife habitat; increasing the width of the buffers where possible to help improve water quality; and creating focused access points to the water for non-motorized boats and wildlife observation.

The D&R Greenway Land Trust is seeking $40,000 for this project.